Hello- I want to meet my son, a Peace Corps volunteer, this summer. I would like to travel with him to Moscow, St. Petersburg and then to Kiev, where we part ways again. Has anyone flown into Odessa? This is closer to where he is posted than Kiev, to begin the trip. It looks as if a tour might be the best bet. Thank you!
My recommendation would be to contact a travel agency that specializes in trips to Russia. The Russian government, to put it mildly, is fickle about the various rules and regulations they apply to visitors. Having a knowledgeable source to help you sift through all the red tape is invaluable. I have used a company called "White Nights" for my trips to Russia, and I'm am continually amazed at how much the rules continually change. Using this company, all of my trips to Russia have gone smoothly.
I'm not sure based on your post where you intend to fly into Odessa from? and what your overall route is.
I do know that Carpatair flies into Odessa - they are a Romanian airline that you can check out. From Odessa you will have a choice of numerous overnight trains to Kiev and from there there are trains to Moscow. Again, all depends on your proposed route and sequence of places.
You need visa for Russia with accomodation voucher as a tourist. No visa for Ukriane. (USA citizens)
There are flights from Odessa to Istanbul, Budapest, Vienna, Warsaw, Riga that I know about. Not necessarily cheap. Hardly any air transport to Ukraine is cheap. Odessa airport ODS does have a website listing all flight in and out of the airport.